A jargon-free journey through the world of social media.

New tech

January 04, 2012

Without a doubt, 2011 was defined by the ever-evolving digital landscape. With all the advances we saw last year, what's in store for 2012?

My colleague Chris Zobel, Luckie & Company's Director of Digital Strategy, runs down the top trends of 2012, all of which revolve around data and content. This year, tailoring content to consumers will be key, and savvy marketers are already heading in that direction.

August 24, 2010

As you've probably heard, Facebook has finally launched its own location-based feature, which lets users check in from almost anywhere in America. By checking in, you let your friends know where you are, what you're doing and maybe even what you think of the place.

While there's a lot to talk about from the user point of view — namely what this means for privacy and security — today I wanted to focus on how business owners can get a jump start on this potentially game-changing (and free) resource.

Why should your business use Facebook places? Well, because your
customers probably already are. And even if you've ignored other location-based apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, now's the time to get serious about it.

Facebook has 133 million users in the U.S. and 500 million worldwide. When you compare that to Foursquare's 2 million user base, I think it's safe to say that checking in just became a phenomenally bigger deal.

Ready to get started? Check out our step-by-step guide, after the jump.

July 27, 2010

We have a bit of an obsession with emerging technology here at Luckie & Co., so I have to say I had a blast writing the cover story for Adweek's recent special issue on Gaming. The topic was "real-world gaming," the idea of building competition and fun into daily life — and how marketers are just starting to get involved.

If you didn't get a chance to read it while it was on the newsstand, be sure to check out the article online. (If you're a client of Luckie and would like a free copy of the print edition, just let me know by e-mail.)

I wanted to share one sidebar that's included with the piece. It's a quick summary of "the tools behind the gaming trends." If you're feeling a little behind on some of the technology, hopefully this will help feel up to speed:

GPS

Developed for military use in the 1970s, satellite-based Global
Positioning System technology didn't get much public attention
until it was added to mobile devices and car navigation in the
1990s. Today, GPS is the backbone for location-based applications
like Gowalla, Foursquare and Yelp.

What's next: Facebook is finally rolling out its own location-based
features, which could be a game changer in a field currently led by
small startups.

QR Codes

Quick Response codes have been tremendously popular in Asia for
years, but are just now hitting the American mainstream. Easy to
create (just search for "QR code generator" online), these codes
can link to almost any site or embed information such as phone
numbers and e-mail addresses. Any mobile device with a QR scanner
app can pull up the information.

What's next: Look for QR codes to start popping up on product
labels, magazine ads, posters and just about anything else that
wants to drive consumers to a site with more information.

Augmented Reality

One of the most buzzworthy tools in marketing today, augmented
reality blends digital imagery with the real world. Using cues such
as logos or GPS coordinates, programmers can make images and
information pop up on screens in real time. So far, marketers have
mostly used Webcam applications, such as Esquire's popular AR issue
and Doritos' Blink 182 "concert on a bag."

What's next: Thanks to the addition of a highly accurate gyroscope
and video upgrades, the iPhone 4 could be the first device to bring
mobile augmented reality to the masses, creating endless potential
for real-world games and virtual entertainment.

June 12, 2009

If you haven't heard of "augmented reality," you might want to check out a recent post I wrote for AdFreak about how GE is using the new technology. Essentially, it blurs the lines between real life and video.

To see an incredible evolution of the concept, check out the video below from the Georgia Tech Augmented Environments Lab and the Savannah College of Art and Design. It's easy to see what a dramatic promotion this could be for marketing partners like Nvidia and Skittles.

April 24, 2009

High-speed Internet access and video sharing form a bit of a chicken-and-egg question: Is broadband evolving to meet our needs for high-definition video, or is our need for high-definition video growing as broadband evolves?

"Eight hours of video is loaded onto YouTube every minute. Everything
will become HD very soon, and HD is 7 to 10 times more bandwidth-hungry
than typical video today. Video will be 80 percent of all traffic by
2010, up from 30 percent today."

(By the way, YouTube has since upped that estimate to 10 hours of video uploaded every minute.)

If you're like me, you might find it hard to keep up with all the different Internet access technologies that are rolling out to suit (or feed) our obsession with HD video.

First, a recap of what we have today, then we'll ease into the near future:

Dial-upTop speed: 56 kilobits per second How it works: Your computer uses a modem to connect to an Internet Service Provider over the telephone line. There's a lot of screaming and clanging involved, as my parents learned every time they tried to use the phone in the early 1990s.Market penetration: 10%, according to a 2008 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.Looking ahead: Obviously this granddaddy of Internet access technology is on the way out, but with prices as low as $5 a month, it still appeals to a certain casual browser set who only wants to check e-mail.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)Top speed: 6 megabits per second (100 times faster than dial-up)How it works: Data is carried over your phone line's high-frequency band, leaving the low-frequency band free for voice communication.Market penetration: 44% of broadband users at end of 2008 (source)Looking ahead: With AT&T dominating the DSL market, you can probably expect this service to eventually give way to AT&T's new U-verse suite of high-speed offerings. U-verse uses fiber technology (see below), offering speeds four times faster than top-tier DSL. (Disclosure: AT&T is a client of Luckie & Co.)

Cable InternetTop speed: 8 megabits per secondHow it works: Data is sent over your cable TV's network, similar to how DSL uses your phone network.Market penetration: 53% of broadband users at end of 2008Looking ahead: Cable giant Comcast seems to be betting its money on a pricy new "wideband" service with a potential for reaching up to 160 megabits per second. More on that below.

Optical fiberTop speed: 10–50 megabits per second, depending on whether the fiber comes all the way to your house.How it works: This one can be confusing, because there are lots of fiber optic networks, but not all that many that come directly to your house. (Usually the signal gets slowed down by your existing coaxial cables and such.) But anyway, it works by sending information as bursts of light through a series of tubes.Market penetration: About 3-5% of broadband users (that's a guess based on the numbers reported here).Looking ahead: The big players here are Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse, though each still has a relatively limited reach. Still, expect to hear about them more and more as they gradually become the broadband standard for people currently using DSL.

Wideband (DOCSIS 3.0)Top speed: 160 megabits per secondHow it works: Upgrades current cable Internet to blast out data a whole lot faster. Market penetration: Very small. Comcast has only rolled the service out in a few California cities, where it's $63–$140 a month.Looking ahead: Expect Comcast to slowly push this across the nation as it fights off fiber offerings from AT&T and Verizon. But in this economy, such a steep price point might be a hard sell.

WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)Top speed: 12 megabits per second, so farHow it works: WiMax is a type of wireless access that can cover an entire community. That said, there's a lot of debate about whether it's a worthwhile competitor with current broadband systems like DSL and cable. You most often hear it mentioned as a "fourth generation" or "4G" wireless technology. Market penetration: You know that new Sprint ad that mentions having 4G? That's WiMax, but it's only in Baltimore. There's also a school in Taiwan and a few other potential hotspots.Looking ahead: There's a bit of a 4G battle simmering between WiMax and a competing technology called LTE. Sprint and Intel are the major backers of WiMax, while AT&T and Verizon have each committed to LTE. Again, it's hard to say if these cellular-oriented technologies will really replace our home broadband systems.

LTE (Long Term Evolution)Top speed: 100 megabits per second (theoretical, but unlikely)How it works: LTE is a 4G wireless technology that could potentially let you stream HD video and perform other ultra-broadband tasks from mobile devices. First it just needs to exist.Market penetration: Nil.Looking ahead: As I said above, this one has a lot of potential, not just because of its blazing speeds but also because of its support from AT&T, Verizon and other telecoms that see it as the bright and wondrous future of wireless access. At least until something better comes along.

I'm sure I've missed (and oversimplified) quite a few things, so let me know all about it in the comments.